COVID-19 has claimed another sports business casualty.
Former NFL player Gary Brackett is selling his Super Bowl XLI and AFC Championship rings in an auction. The former linebacker is placing the prized jewelry at auction to raise money since he has been forced to file bankruptcy due to COVID destroying his small business.
Now Brackett is auctioning off his sole Super Bowl ring to get past the economic woes of the pandemic.
@ThePodPMI is anyone going to help Gary Brackett out?! The man is out here auctioning his super bowl rings off!
— Tyler Kaufman (@DizzleDahn) January 7, 2022
The Peyton Manning Era
Brackett played for the Peyton Manning-led Indianapolis Colts from 2003 to 2011. He was a part of Manning’s first Super Bowl win in 2007, when the Colts defeated the Bears 29-17.
However, now the ring is up for bids during the Ripley Auctions Super Sports & Entertainment Sale scheduled for Feb. 5 in Indianapolis.
The ring is a memorable part of the Indianapolis franchise’s history, as it was the last time the team won a Super Bowl. The first was in 1971 when they were still called the Baltimore Colts, and the team has only won two in its history.
“This auction gives buyers an incredible opportunity to own the pinnacle of achievement in professional sports, a genuine, player-issued Super Bowl ring,” Dan Ripley, owner of Ripley Auctions, says.
“The fact that both rings in our auction were won by one of the most popular Indianapolis Colts players ever, Gary Brackett, makes them even more special.”
Give Gary Brackett money pls don’t let him sell his ring
— #HaliburtonSZN (@y3ppppppppp) January 3, 2022
One Of 70
According to the auction details, approximately 70 rings were made for the players on the team. To date, only one player’s ring from that team is known to have been offered to the public since the Colts’ victory.
Now Brackett’s ring is the first active-roster player’s ring to come to market. The Brackett rings are just two of the several hundred items up for auction.
Before Brackett’s NFL career he was a walk-on to the Rutgers University football team. As a senior he became the captain of the defensive team, winning the team’s defensive MVP honors.
Gary Brackett, LB ex-Colts, vai leiloar o anel do Super Bowl XLI que ganhou, após declarar falência em suas empresas de médio porte, durante a pandemia.
Ele jogou nos Colts de 2003 a 2011 e venceu o Super Bowl de 2007. pic.twitter.com/HvETEtYIfI
— Danilo Lacalle (@danlacalle) January 6, 2022
No Straight Line
However, he had an unconventional ride into the professional ranks.
In 2003, Brackett signed to the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent. Brackett wasn’t selected in the 2003 NFL draft. He competed for a roster spot as a backup linebacker and special teams player during training camp of the same year.
Brackett was named defensive captain of the Colts in 2006 and recorded 120 tackles. He started for the Colts in the Super Bowl XLI win over the Chicago Bears.
Filling In The Brackett
By 2007 Brackett recorded 116 tackles and four interceptions. He also recorded 99 tackles two years in a row (2008 and 2009) and started for the Colts in their Super Bowl XLIV loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Brackett was twice named AFC Defensive Player of the Week during his career before being released following the 2011 season.
He retired from the NFL at age 31.
After football Brackett went into the restaurant industry, opening the Stacked Pickle restaurant. He grew the business to nine locations in Indiana and one in Ohio before filing for bankruptcy in 2020 due to the pandemic.
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